17th New York State Legislature

17th New York State Legislature

The Old Albany City Hall, where the Legislature met again in 1794 (undated)
Duration: July 1, 1793 – June 30, 1794
President of the State Senate: Lt. Gov. Pierre Van Cortlandt
Temporary President of the State Senate:
Speaker of the State Assembly: James Watson (Fed.)
Members: 24 Senators
70 Assemblymen
Senate Majority: Federalist (13-11)
Assembly Majority: Federalist
Sessions
1st: January 7, 1794 – March 27, 1794
<16th 18th>

The 17th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7 to March 27, 1794, during the seventeenth year of George Clinton's governorship, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1777, the State Senators were elected on general tickets in the senatorial districts, and were then divided into four classes. Six senators each drew lots for a term of 1, 2, 3 or 4 years and, beginning at the election in April 1778, every year six Senate seats came up for election to a four-year term. Assemblymen were elected countywide on general tickets to a one-year term, the whole assembly being renewed annually.

In March 1786, the Legislature enacted that future Legislatures meet on the first Tuesday of January of each year unless called earlier by the governor. No general meeting place was determined, leaving it to each Legislature to name the place where to reconvene, and if no place could be agreed upon, the Legislature should meet again where it adjourned.

On February 7, 1791, the Legislature re-apportioned the Senate and Assembly districts, according to the figures of the 1790 United States Census.

State Senator Philip Van Cortlandt was elected in January 1793 to the 3rd United States Congress, leaving a vacancy in the Southern District.

At this time the politicians were divided into two opposing political parties: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.[1]

Elections

The State election was held from April 30 to May 2, 1793. Senator John Cantine (Middle D.) was re-elected. Ezra L'Hommedieu (Southern D.), Jacobus Van Schoonhoven (Western D.), and Assemblymen Reuben Hopkins (Middle D.), Zina Hitchcock (Eastern D.) and Michael Myers (Western D.) were elected to full terms in the Senate. Matthew Clarkson was elected to fill the vacancy in the Southern District.

Sessions

The Legislature met at the Old City Hall in Albany on January 7; and adjourned on March 27, 1794.

On January 7, 1794, John McKesson, Clerk of the Assembly since 1777, was voted out of office. Oliver L. Ker, of New York City, was elected with 37 votes against 21 for McKesson.[2]

State Senate

Districts

Note: There are now 62 counties in the State of New York. The counties which are not mentioned in this list had not yet been established, or sufficiently organized, the area being included in one or more of the abovementioned counties.

Members

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Reuben Hopkins, Zina Hitchcock, Michael Myers changed from the Assembly to the Senate.

District Senators Term left Party Notes
Southern David Gelston* 1 year Dem.-Rep. also Surrogate of New York County
Matthew Clarkson 1 year Federalist elected to fill vacancy, in place of Philip Van Cortlandt
Samuel Jones* 2 years Federalist also Recorder of New York City
Joshua Sands* 2 years Federalist
Henry Cruger* 3 years Federalist
John Schenck* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
Selah Strong* 3 years Federalist elected to the Council of Appointment
Ezra L'Hommedieu 4 years Federalist
Middle David Pye* 1 year Dem.-Rep.
Thomas Tillotson* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
Jacobus Swartwout* 2 years Dem.-Rep.
Joseph Hasbrouck* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
John Cantine* 4 years Dem.-Rep.
Reuben Hopkins* 4 years Dem.-Rep. elected to the Council of Appointment
Eastern John Williams* 1 year Dem.-Rep. elected in April 1794 to the 4th United States Congress
William Powers* 2 years Federalist
John Livingston*[3] 3 years Dem.-Rep.
Robert Woodworth* 3 years Dem.-Rep.
Zina Hitchcock* 4 years Federalist elected to the Council of Appointment
Western John Frey* 1 year Federalist
Stephen Van Rensselaer* 1 year Federalist
Philip Schuyler* 2 years Federalist elected to the Council of Appointment
Michael Myers* 4 years Federalist
Jacobus Van Schoonhoven 4 years Federalist

Employees

State Assembly

Districts

Note: There are now 62 counties in the State of New York. The counties which are not mentioned in this list had not yet been established, or sufficiently organized, the area being included in one or more of the abovementioned counties.

Assemblymen

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.

County Assemblymen Party Notes
Albany Johannes Dietz* Federalist
Jellis A. Fonda* Federalist
Theodorus V. W. Graham
Jacob Hochstrasser
Thomas Hun
William North Federalist
Stephen Platt
Columbia Matthew Adgate* Dem.-Rep.
John Bay Dem.-Rep.
James Brebner
Dirck Gardiner
Matthew Scott
Ambrose Spencer Federalist
Dutchess Samuel A. Barker Federalist
James Bockée or Jacob Bockée
David Brooks Federalist
John DeWitt
Jesse Oakley
Jacob Radclift[4]
Isaac Van Wyck
Herkimer Jedediah Sanger Federalist
Kings Peter Vandervoort Federalist
Montgomery Jacob Eaker*
Frederick Gettman
John McArthur
Simon Veeder*
New York Robert Boyd
John DeLancey*
Richard Furman Federalist
Josiah Ogden Hoffman* Federalist
Jotham Post Jr. Federalist
James Watson Federalist elected Speaker
William Willcocks
Ontario Thomas Morris Federalist
Orange John D. Coe Dem.-Rep.
Seth Marvin
John Wheeler
Otsego Benjamin Gilbert Federalist
Queens Samuel Clowes*
Harry Peters Federalist
Samuel Youngs
Rensselaer Jonathan Brown
Benjamin Hicks* Federalist
Hosea Moffitt Federalist
Jonas Odel
Thomas Sickles Dem.-Rep.
Richmond Gozen Ryerss* Federalist
Saratoga John Ball
Adam Comstock* Dem.-Rep.
John McClelland
Beriah Palmer* Dem.-Rep.
Suffolk John Gelston*
Jonathan N. Havens* Dem.-Rep. elected in April 1794 to the 4th United States Congress
John Smith* Dem.-Rep.
Joshua Smith Jr.
Tioga Vincent Mathews Federalist
Ulster Cornelius Bruyn Federalist
Conrad E. Elmendorf Federalist
Ebenezer Foote Federalist
Johannes Miller Federalist
James Oliver Federalist
Washington
and Clinton		 Benjamin Colvin
Philip Smith
David Thomas Dem.-Rep.
William Whiteside
Westchester Richard Hatfield* Federalist
Elias Newman*
Abel Smith
Pierre Van Cortlandt Jr. Dem.-Rep.
Ebenezer White

Employees

Notes

  1. ↑ The Anti-Federalists called themselves "Republicans." However, at the same time, the Federalists called them "Democrats" which was meant to be pejorative. After some time both terms got more and more confused, and sometimes used together as "Democratic Republicans" which later historians have adopted (with a hyphen) to describe the party from the beginning, to avoid confusion with both the later established and still existing Democratic and Republican parties.
  2. ↑ Election for Clerk of the Assembly
  3. ↑ John Livingston, fifth son of Robert Livingston (1708–1790), 3rd Lord of the Manor
  4. ↑ It is unclear why this person is named "Radcliff", the Civil List of 1858 lists "Radclift" and he signed himself as such, see signature at his article on Wikipedia.

Sources

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